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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. fall — to drop
  3. cap — of ice
  4. kick — in football
  5. march — music
  6. bore — to tire
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bore — to drill
  10. cap — a lid
  11. fall — the season
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. march — the month
  16. tube — the underground
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. cap — a hat
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — the fruit
  23. march — the month
  24. lie — to recline

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com